Treetop wrote:neilgin1 wrote:Tree, I didn't write that piece, I should quote marked it...I been reading and re-reading your post, pondering thinking about it, before I respond, you have a good heart, wisdom, and your an idealist......nothing wrong with that.....my default setting is "assume the worst, you might be pleasantly surprised"
God bless you all, n
Ive been hoping you would finish your response. Ive been curious what you believe makes me an idealist? I mean my response was basically geared towards bringing a bit of realism to this post. People here are angry out what things have become and I wanted to hold a mirror to that and show we brought ourselves here, and the best chance to fix it is during the reset I personally think is inevitable. being mad at best is a cathartic release of pent up pain at worst blinds you when you need to be the most aware. You mentioned going to survival forums before? Were you going on them in the lates 90s early 2000s? I was on many of them back then. Im reminded of it because those guys also called me an idealist when I pushed the idea they NEED to grow food. Most such forums back then pictured some type of scenario, man versus man. surviving with their MREs and bullets. Id show up and explain that it doesnt work like that, that few will be marching around hunting others food for long. Locals who are stable and on home turf will widdle them down over time and hunt them down at worst. They needed to produce for this they needed seed and basic skills atleast. Its not often Ive ever been told I was an idealist, they thought I was such because most seemed to hear me say "grow food and it will be ok", when I in fact had said "grow food or it will be drastically worse and your at the whim of others actions and luck"... I literally went to these over years on and off doing this. constantly chased away because I was a wide eyed idealist. When the reality was these people had tunnel vision and needed to see the bigger picture. I stpped going when people I used to be mocked from were then teaching people about growing food. I cant say for sure obviously but its possible I helped shift the whole mindset, which was definitely my intent, few ever did anything but mock me publicly when I did this and I didnt personally notice others doing it. I was still a teenager at the time. lol the internet kinda seemed smaller back then honestly.
I get the impression perhaps something similar happened here. I dont exactly assume the worst as you mention that gets lonely boring and sad, but Ive always thought it out the best I could and am prepared. I certainly have ideals, (especially self determination within a framework that keeps us all generally safish) but Ive never been an idealist, atleast any of the ways Ive ever seen the word used. For those I know in real life, Im often the salt in thew wound. I show up and show you what you had missed or wanted to ignore. "tough love" as its called. I dunno, I think I might have some variation on asbergers or something I relate to all these topics much different then most.
my default setting is "do your best and let the pieces fall where they will with a clean conscious"
Tree, forgive me, I got a mini nightmare HERE, that's been going on three months,which is my mother, going legally blind (she's a writer) and long story SHORT, I got my whole thing wired down, my mother is very different from me, and I had to assume guardianship, its temp now, but it might be permanent. Tough thing is, it was my grandmother who raised me, fed me, nurtured me, etc till I was 12, she died, and my mother "took over"...turbulent teen-age years, in the Navy at 17, get the picture? ...and now I've been waging warfare over myself, my soul, ie.....that dark thought, "she didn't really take care of me as child, now at the end of day, her 78, I have to take care of her?!?"....anger, then IF my Faith is real, IF I love God, then I have to kill that thought, otherwise I am a rank hypocrite, and my Faith and love for and in God is a sham.
So, I killed the anger, and embraced the Love....of God,and I am a loving son and faithful steward of her resources, finances, paying off bills, in honesty, love and integrity.....but it sure has rattled my cage, (along with the ravages of winter)....so that's why I spaced.
you wrote: "You mentioned going to survival forums before? Were you going on them in the lates 90s early 2000s? I was on many of them back then. Im reminded of it because those guys also called me an idealist when I pushed the idea they NEED to grow food. "
In 1969, at 9, I read John Hersheys "Hiroshima", and that had GREAT impact on, since I knew every weapon mankind has made, he has used, repeatly...and nuclear weapons are in class by themselves, which is why Ike, in London in SHAEF HQ, upon hearing of the attack on Hiroshima, fell into a very deep depression, according to his son, John, serving as his aide. (John was a LT, I believe)....and Ike voiced as, "WW3?......will be the LAST war".(i'm paraphrasing....Ike was one of seven top brass, who were briefed into the Manhattan project after the Trinity Test in NM was successful and the seven were asked "should we use this weapon on Japan?" Six of the seven replied "no" betya Curtis Lemay was lone "yeh", seeing as it was his own 509th SQN that would deliver the weapon....sad thing is the Japanese, moderates WITHIN the royal family had been making peace overtures as early as Feb 45 thru Count Bern in Switzerland, their only request being, "please don't hang our Emperor", which was the very thing MacArthur did not do
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at this point I fell asleep, guess I get long winded and off topic.....but the way I see it, everything is connected....even past history, what I really should have just said, "i was in the prepper mode as a nine year old in 1969".....and NO, I do NOT see local food production as "idealistic"....I don't think idealistic and realistic are separate attributes.....and in the late 90's I was NOT on prepper forums, I was NOT getting ramped up about Y2K.....and frankly I don't appreciate the discourse they have on prepper forums these days, for my own private reasons.
you wrote:
"Most such forums back then pictured some type of scenario, man versus man. surviving with their MREs and bullets. Id show up and explain that it doesnt work like that, that few will be marching around hunting others food for long. Locals who are stable and on home turf will widdle them down over time and hunt them down at worst."
couldn't agree more....and the dialogue on those forums hasn't changed much...and where I live, this sub species of prepper, the "pirate prepper", has only a battle rifle and ammo, and a strategy of murdering others for supplies, as I've said before will be dealt with very quickly, we'll make these arab daesh look like choir boys, for in war, there is time for mercy and tenderness, and there is a time for ruthlessness, which is really just clarity.
when I said idealistic, I might have chosen the wrong word....I meant "thoughtful", your a thoughtful man Tree, neil